Assessment of production performance, profitability, and constraints of dairy farms in Thane district of Maharashtra

Introduction

Dairying occupies a significant position in Indian agriculture and plays an important role in rural livelihoods, nutritional security, and economic development. Following the White Revolution, India emerged as the world's largest milk producer, contributing nearly 25% of global milk production. The dairy sector supports more than 70 million rural households, particularly small and marginal farmers, by providing regular income and employment opportunities (Shumway and Stoffer 2017; TAAS 2023) [19,21] . Milk also serves as an important source of protein for the predominantly vegetarian population of the country (Lyngkhoi et al. 2022) [12] . India's milk production has shown consistent growth, increasing from 239.30 million tonnes in 2023-24 to 247.87 million tonnes in 2024-25 (Press Information Bureau 2025) [15] . Maharashtra is one of the major milk-producing states and contributes substantially to national milk output. However, despite this progress, dairy farming continues to face several challenges affecting production efficiency and farm profitability. High feed and fodder costs, inadequate veterinary and breeding services, limited technical knowledge, and marketing difficulties are among the major constraints reported in dairy farming systems (Gamit et al. 2021; Shelar et al. 2022) [7,18] . Thane district, due to its proximity to major urban markets, has considerable potential for dairy development and is characterized by intensive, market-oriented dairy farming systems. Most farms in the district follow stall-feeding practices and depend heavily on purchased fodder and concentrates, resulting in high production costs. However, systematic studies focusing specifically on production performance, economics, and constraints of dairy farms in this region are limited. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the production performance, economic viability, and major constraints of dairy farms in selected blocks of Thane district, Maharashtra, with the objective of identifying factors affecting productivity and profitability and suggesting suitable measures for sustainable dairy development.

Materials and Methods

The present study was conducted in Thane district of Maharashtra state during September to December 2025. Four blocks, namely Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar and Thane, were selected for the study. The ex-post facto experimental design served as the foundation for the present investigation. A total of 60 dairy farms were selected from the four blocks of Thane district. The selection process was based on selecting a minimum of 10 dairy farms from each block, ensuring that each selected farm housed at least 10 dairy animals. Proportionate sampling was carried out to ensure fair representation from each block considering the population of dairy animals. The data were collected through personal interview and observation using a prestructured interview and assessment schedule. Information related to production parameters, economics of milk production and constraints faced by dairy farmers was collected from the respondents. Production parameters included daily milk production, wet average, dry average, wet-to-dry ratio, average lactation yield, average lactation length and average dry period. These parameters were calculated based on farm records and information obtained from the respondents. The wet and dry averages were computed based on the number of lactating and dry animals, respectively, while lactation yield and lactation length were derived from individual animal performance records. Economic parameters such as feeding cost, labour cost, electricity cost, veterinary cost, total expenditure, cost of milk production per litre, income from milk sold, dung income, total income, gross profit and profit per animal were recorded and computed on an annual basis. Total expenditure was obtained by summing feeding, labour, electricity and veterinary costs. Cost of milk production per litre was calculated by dividing total expenditure by total milk production. Income from milk was estimated based on quantity of milk sold and prevailing market prices, while dung income was calculated based on farmer responses. Total income was derived by summing income from milk and dung. Gross profit was calculated as the difference between total income and total expenditure, and profit per animal was obtained by dividing gross profit by the number of milch animals. Constraints faced by dairy farmers were identified and categorised into economic, technical, marketing and general constraints. The frequency and percentage of responses were calculated to assess the severity of constraints. The data generated were tabulated, computerised and subjected to frequencies and percentages using standard procedures given by Snedecor and Cochran (1989) [20] . Statistical analysis of quantitative parameters, including calculation of mean values, standard error and comparison of means using one-way ANOVA, was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 20.

Results and Discussion

Production performance: The production performance of dairy farms in the study area was evaluated using parameters such as total milk production per farm per day, wet and dry average milk yield, wet-to-dry ratio, lactation milk yield, lactation length and dry period. The data were presented in Table 1. The overall average total milk production was 198.57±18.84 kg per farm per day, with higher production observed in Ulhasnagar (276.73±42.92 kg) compared to Kalyan (240.60±49.66 kg), Thane (149.00±21.29 kg) and Bhiwandi (127.93±11.14 kg). The differences were statistically significant (p<0.05), with significantly higher production recorded in Ulhasnagar compared to all other blocks, while Kalyan also exhibited significantly higher production than Bhiwandi. The wet and dry average milk yields were 7.43±0.08 kg/day and 6.36±0.11 kg/day, respectively, with significant variation observed among the blocks. Higher wet and dry average yields were observed in Ulhasnagar and Kalyan, whereas comparatively lower values were recorded in Thane and Bhiwandi. The average wet-to-dry ratio was 9.24±1.02, indicating variation in herd composition without statistical significance. The average lactation milk yield was 2053.48±28.70 kg/animal, while the average lactation length was 277.00±1.38 days, both showing comparatively uniform performance across the study area. The average dry period was 84.50±1.74 days, with no significant difference (p>0.05) observed among the blocks, indicating uniformity in reproductive management practices. The present findings were in agreement with Islam et al.

(2020) [9] , who reported stable milk production under smallholder conditions. The wet average yield observed in the present study was comparable with the findings of Rajpoot et al. (2019) [16] (7.50±0.31 kg/day) and Khalangre and Suryawanshi et al. (2024) [10] , indicating similar productivity under field conditions. However, the lactation yield (2053.48 kg/animal) was slightly higher than that reported by Chendge et al. (2022) [5] (2007.66 litres) and Khatke et al. (2023) [11] (1964.57 litres), which might be attributed to differences in feeding and concentrate supplementation practices. The shorter dry period compared to the upper recommended range indicated relatively efficient reproductive management in the study area. The non-significant differences in lactation length and dry period were in line with More et al. (2020) [13] , suggesting consistent dairy management practices across the blocks. The dry average yield also aligned with Khalangre and Suryawanshi (2024) [10] , indicating the predominance of small-to medium-scale dairy production systems. The higher production performance observed in Ulhasnagar and Kalyan may be attributed to better feeding, health care and overall herd management practices. Means bearing different superscript ( a,b,c) within the same row differs significantly (p<0.05)

The present findings were in agreement with Arti et al.

(2024) [2] and Babu et al. (2023) [3] , who reported superior economic performance in larger dairy units. The higher feeding and labour costs observed in the present study were comparable with the findings of Gulumbe and Bhat (2022) [8] and Gadhvi et al. (2021) [6] , indicating that herd expansion substantially influences variable expenditure. However, the higher total income and gross profit recorded in Ulhasnagar and Kalyan may be attributed to larger herd size, better milk yield and favourable milk sale rates. The non-significant differences in gross profit and profit per milch animal suggest relatively uniform economic efficiency across the study area. Overall, the results indicate that dairy farming in Thane district is economically viable and sustainable, particularly in larger herd units. Constraints faced by dairy farmers: The constraints faced by dairy farmers in dairy farming were analysed under economic, technical, marketing and general categories. The results are presented in Table 3. Economic constraints: Among the economic constraints, high cost of concentrate was reported as the most important constraint by 27.78 percent of the respondents, followed by high cost of veterinary medicines ( [4] and Paradkar et al. (2025) [14] . Difficult loan procedures and inadequate credit facilities were also comparable with the observations of Reddy et al.

(2024) [17] . Technical problems such as lack of knowledge, insufficient veterinary facilities, and poor conception rates correspond with the reports of Barman et al. (2024) [4] . Marketing challenges, particularly non-remunerative milk prices, were consistent with the findings of Reddy et al.

(2024) [17] . Additionally, general issues related to fodder management and limited access to A.I. services were in agreement with Paradkar et al. (2025) [14] . The present study indicated that dairy farms in Thane district exhibited comparatively better production performance, with significant variation among blocks in total milk production, wet and dry average yield, and lactation milk yield, while lactation length and dry period remained largely uniform. Economic analysis revealed that feeding and labour costs constituted the major share of total expenditure and significantly influenced the cost of milk production, whereas higher herd size and milk sale rates contributed to improved income and profitability in Ulhasnagar and Kalyan blocks. Although variations were observed among blocks in expenditure, milk sales, and total income, the overall gross profit and profit per milch animal remained comparable, indicating uniform economic efficiency. The study further identified major constraints affecting dairy farming, including high cost of concentrate, lack of technical knowledge, competition from established dairy units, and poor awareness regarding silage preparation. Overall, the findings suggest that dairy farming in the study area is economically viable and productive, but reduction in input costs and strengthening of technical and extension support services are essential for improving sustainability and profitability.

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